Marco Asensio: Why Liverpool face defeat to AC Milan in transfer battle
Cameron Smith
- 24 Jun 2022 11:07 BST
- 3 min read
Real Madrid's Marco Asensio looks set to leave the club this summer to end a seven-year association with Los Blancos.
The Spaniard arrived from RCD Mallorca in 2015 and after a loan spell at Espanyol has become a key member of the club's first-team squad, but hasn't quite regularly established himself in the starting XI.
With his contract expiring in 2023, it seems clear that he will depart from the Santiago Bernabeu during the current transfer window.
Despite registering his best ever goal-scoring return for the club last season, hitting double digits for La Liga goals for the first time, Asensio appears set on a new challenge, with several clubs interested.
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Although it seems Gareth Bale will also leave Real Madrid, the club aren't getting in Asensio's way in regards to a move away, likely due to Rodrygo's rise to prominence and Fede Valverde's emergence as a right-winger om the latter stages of the 2021/22 campaign.
With just one year left on his deal, Los Blancos will want to receive a profit on the player, and both Liverpool and AC Milan are understood to be interested in a move.
Liverpool or Milan?
Serie A champions Milan have identified the right side of their attack as a position of weakness, with current first-choice option Alexis Saelemaekers scoring just one goal and assisting a further three in 36 league appearances last season.
As for Liverpool, they have replaced Sadio Mane with Darwin Nunez, but with Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi both on their way out, another body in the forward department could help, although it may not be a priority.
Spanish publication Sport have reported that Jurgen Klopp is a keen admirer of Asensio and would like to add him to the Liverpool squad, but the player isn't convinced. Sport believe that Asensio doesn't want to join the Anfield side due to fears of a similar situation to the one he's faced at Real Madrid arising.
Asensio is still yet to nail down a starting spot at the Santiago Bernabeu, and with the plethora of options at Klopp's disposal already, he won't be guaranteed a vast number of minutes.
On the other hand, Milan would be able to offer Asensio a spot in the starting XI, which is why he reportedly favours a move to San Siro over one to Anfield. However, his wages may be a stumbling block for Milan, who don't possess the spending power of Liverpool.
Despite this, it seems as though Milan are now leading the race, with Liverpool likely to concede defeat to the Scudetto winners due to the quality already at the club.
